Home > Community > Expat Blogs > Blog of the month: Orana from Bali

We are thrilled to introduce you to Orana’s blog. Orana is Peruvian and lives in Bali, and she blogs (in English) on Crazy Little Family Adventure, a place full of discoveries and inspiration. Thanks Orana! 

 

What took you abroad?

Both my husband and I have lived away from our home countries (Argentina and Peru respectively) for long periods of time. I went to Elementary and High School in the United States and he went to University in The Netherlands. Living abroad is not something out of the ordinary for us, it is actually a major factor in how we live as a family.

We met in Cusco, a city full of tourists and expats, both of us not locals and in temporary situations. Together we moved to other places and in the middle of it spent 7 years in my hometown where we got married.

After living in Peru for 10 years we decided it was time for a big change and chose Southeast Asia as the destination. We landed pregnant in Luang Prabang, Laos with our toddler and my teenage daughter. We had the baby in Bangkok where we stayed for 10 months. The stint in Thailand lasted for two and a half years.

At the moment we are living in Bali and we think we will stay in Asia for quite a few years to come. My husband has a job now so we move around according to where his work takes us.

baliWhy a blog?

I started the blog while living in Bangkok. I was spending my days with a newborn and my homeschooled teen while my husband and the toddler explored the city. I needed some kind of outlet. I wrote mostly about them and a little about me.

Things have gotten more personal as the years pass. I have learned a lot about myself while writing the blog. There have been times when it has felt like a chore to keep up but when I look back at the old posts I can tell how much I have grown. And my kids will have all their stories to read when they are older.

Have you found any difficulties in setting it up and managing it? Are you assisted by someone or did you do everything on your own?

I set it up all on my own. Last year a friend helped me set up the Sitemap and look into the SEO. I ten joined a Blogging Group called Blogging on your Own Terms where I learned a lot about branding and things like that.

Everything technical about my blog got way better after that. Nobody really helps me do anything, but I do have some people teach me things and then I do them.

The blog has grown so much now that it has tangents that go off on their own, like our Etsy Store called Family Art Movement and the Instagram Community called Balistagram.

With what frequence do you publish on your blog?

I aim to publish at least once or twice a week. I am trying to organize myself for the next year so that things are more consistent. It is really hard to get organized and have an editorial calendar, I just can’t keep up with myself.

There have been months of silence and other months of posting every day. It really depends on how I’m feeling. Life is better when I post consistently though!

Give us three reasons why your blog is important to you

My blog is my emotional backbone because when I write my state of mind stays controlled. If people read it or not doesn’t really matter, but when someone relates to what I have written it makes me feel a lot better about myself and my choice to write.

My blog is my creative outlet not only with writing; real life AND short stories. I get to create digital art for it, I learn how to code simple things. I designed the entire thing and have learned a lot by doing so.

My blog is the stepping stone to bigger and better things. From the blog I grew to creating my art store which is like a dream come true. One could not exist without the other and this makes me happy.

Have you met people through your blog?

I met many people through my blog! The greatest group I met is Mommitment and the women there. I have met lots of travel bloggers and educational bloggers. I keep meeting people all the time!

I met lots of people through the International Bloggers Association, and the Blogging on your own terms FB group. I have met other worldschoolers through the Worldschooling FB group and I have even made some real friends.

Blogging really is like a social event, just that you do it from home. I really enjoy meeting new people with my blog because they meet me through my writing and that is special to me.

Orana
Crazy Little Family Adventure, https://www.crazylittlefamilyadventure.com/
January 2016

 

Since you are here...

...may we ask you to buy us a caffe ? We are joking of course, but there is something we would like to tell you. You might have noticed that Expatclic has no ads or paywall. For 19 years we have been working voluntarily to provide quality contents and support to expat women all over the world. However, keeping such a big website going has some costs, which we partially cover with team member’s fees and donations of those who appreciate us and wants our work to continue. If you could give even a tiny contribution to cover the rest, we would be immensely grateful ♥ You can support us with a small donation, even a small one. Thank you so very much.
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Commenti
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments